This weekend we learn a lot about all this love Auburn has been getting.

Maybe it's the real thing. Or maybe it's fake news.

Upsetting No. 3 Clemson, a 4 1/2-point favorite Saturday night in Death Valley, would almost certainly answer the question.

If the new guy, Jarrett Stidham, has dusted off the rust he showed in last week's 41-7 beatdown of Georgia Southern and really is the player we've heard about for the past year, it could happen.

If Kamryn Pettway, who sat out the opener, is the Pettway we saw last year when he led the SEC in rushing yards, it could happen.

If the defense that smothered Georgia Southern's triple-option attack, holding it to 78 yards, continues to play like the defense that smothered a lot of offenses last year, it could happen.

A loss to the defending national champs isn't going to spoil the season, but it sure would make things a lot less complicated for Gus Malzahn, whose hot seat status isn't going away until Auburn has a season that doesn't include getting kicked around by Georgia and Alabama for a fourth straight year.

This week's picks:

Auburn vs. ClemsonIf Auburn has some pixie dust it can sprinkle on running back Kerryon Johnson to heal that hamstring injury he suffered last week, the Tigers will have the 1-2 punch they need to help Stidham and the passing game and new OC Chip Lindsey is going to need the passing game a lot against one of the best defensive front sevens they'll face.

Without an effective running game, Stidham is going to spend a lot of time on his back or on the run.

Auburn's defense was terrific against Clemson last year when it kept the Tigers in the game and a Hail Mary away from a crazy finish. It's going to have to take the lead again and maybe, just maybe, exploit first-year starting quarterback Kelly Bryant, who's a more dangerous runner than the school's first-round draft pick Deshaun Watson.- Clemson 26, Auburn 21

Fresno State vs. AlabamaA Florida State hangover is about the best hope 43 1/2-point underdog Fresno State has of staying in the same zip code against the Crimson Tide, which was as impressive as any Nick Saban team has looked in an opening season game given Florida State's No. 3 ranking and hype going in.

The offense could be Saban's best. The defense is the usual scary good. The special teams are a weapon, but unless Alabama can figure out its place-kicker problem that's a problem.- Alabama 38, Fresno State 7

UAB vs. Ball StateThe return of UAB football was pretty neat: Blazers 38, Alabama A&M 7 in front of 45,000 fans at Legion Field. The outcome wasn't surprising considering A&M's a I-AA team and Bill Clark has had two years to collect enough talent to be respectable in the program's return. But are the 14-point underdog Blazers ready to challenge Conference USA's best, say a Louisiana Tech or Southern Miss, or a Mid-American Conference team like Ball State? Maybe not out of the gate, but maybe by October Blazer fans will see a team full of promise instead of so many unknowns. - Ball State 27, UAB 20

Oklahoma State vs. South AlabamaThis is quite the opponent coming to Mobile tonight. Oklahoma State is ranked No. 11 nationally, has a Heisman Trophy candidate in quarterback Mason Rudolph, and big-play weapons all around with wide receiver James Washington and three running backs that gained at least 92 yards each in a 59-24 stomping of Tulsa. Do the 28-point underdog Jags have a chance? They do if they can build on a turnover-free game that saw them trail by three at the half at Ole Miss before losing 47-27.- Oklahoma State 45, South Alabama 24